CULTURAL NEWS

Presentation of Algeria's new archeological map in form of interactive application

ALGIERS- The new archeological map of Algeria was presented Tuesday, in Algiers, in the form of interactive application designed by several bodies specialized in archeology, coming under the Ministry of Culture and Arts.

This map, whose carrying out was launched in May 2020 by the Ministry of Culture, is meant to be an updating of the archeological Atlas carried out by French archeologist Stephane Gsell in 1911 during the colonial period, entitled "Archeological Atlas of Algeria."

Gsell's book "had ideological dimensions and a colonialist context, in the sense that he focused only on Roman archeological sites located in the north of Algeria," said Minister of Culture Malika Bendouda who underlined that the new map "reflects Algeria's historical and civilizational reality which dates back to 2.5 million years and comprises all the regions of Algeria, notably the country's South."

For the minister, the realization of this map comes within the framework of "the cultural security and detachment from the cultural map and speech of the French colonizer," adding that the latter had affected several fields and required more time to get rid of it."